Brick-machine.



v No. 757,961. PATENTE-D APR. 19, 1904. G. F. RANDALL & W. G. VANNEMAN.

BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7, 1903,

NO IODEL. 2, SHEETSSHBBT 1.

No. 757,961. PATENTED APR. 19, 1904. C. F. RANDALL & W. G. VANNEMAN.BRICK MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 7. 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 8HBBTS-BHEET 2.

f 48 go 6 v l" x R5 co. wmoumo. wnsumavcm u c UNITED STATES PatentedApril 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

CLINTON F. RANDALL AND IVILLIAM C. VANNEMAN, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA,ASSIGNORS TO THE ANDERSON FOUNDRY & MACHINE WORKS, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA,A CORPORATION.

BRICK-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 757,961, dated April19, 1904.

Application filed August 7,1903. Serial N- 168,565. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, CLINTON F. RANDALL and WILLIAM C. VANNEMAN,citizens of the United States, residing at Anderson, in the county ofMadison and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Brick-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in a dry-press-brick machine,the object being to improve the quality and density of the brick.

Our invention is shown as applied to a machine of the type illustratedand described in Patent No. 598,554, granted Anton Berg February 8,1898, although the said invention is capable of application to any ofthe familiar forms of pitman-machines.

The features of the invention are more fully set forth in thedescription of the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a centralvertical section of the improvement. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional Viewof the pitman and crank-pin connection. Fig. 3 is a detail sectionalview of a portion of the pressing mechanism in lifting-out position.Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration of the crank-pin and piston-boxconnection in different positions.

1 represents the frame of the machine; 2, the mold-table, having theusual molds. The sides of the frame are provided with vertical guides,in which slide the connecting side bars 3.

4 5 represent toggle-arms, pivoted together by central toggle-pin 6,toggle-arm A being pivoted by toggle-pin 7 at its upper end to the topof the side bars 3. Toggle-arm 5 is pivoted at its lower end by means ofthe pin 8 to the upper cross-head 9, carrying the upper plungers 10.

11 represents the lower plungers, carried by the lower cross-head 12,which is supported on the lower ends of the side bars 3.

13 represents the cradle mechanism, on which the toggles, plungers, andside bars are supported and by which they are vertically adjustedrelative to the mold-table.

, 14 represents the crank-shaft, on the end of which is a gear-wheel 15,in train with the gear-wheels 16 and 17 for rotating the crankshaft.

18 represents the pitman-lever, one end of which is connected to thecentral toggle-pin 6, the other end to the crank-shaft pin 19.

20 represents the fulcrum-roll, journaled in the frame of the machine,upon which the cam 21 of the pitman 18 slides and turns.

22 represents an adjustable cam-shoe in the front portion of thepitman-lever 18.

23 represents the hopper; 24, the feed-box; 25, the rocking arm foroscillating the feedboX, and 26 the-connecting-rod between the feed-boxand the rocking arms.

27 28 represent adj Listing-bolts engaging the top toggle-pin 7 fortaking up lost motion.

So far the machine corresponds in structure and organization with thebrick-press shown and described in the Berg patent. Our machine followsalso the same general plan of operation both in pressing the brick,lifting out, pushing forward the brick for delivery, and charging themolds. There is, however, this important difference in the pressingoperation. In our device when the toggles have all their joints inalinement, that being the mo ment of greatest pressure, means areprovided for temporarily suspending the transmission of power from thecrank-shaft to the central toggle-pin, which results in prolonging theinterval of greatest compression. In other words, when the upper andlower plungers have arrived at their closest proximity, necessarily thetime of the greatest compression, they are caused to dwell in saidposition upon the clay in the molds Without flexation of the toggles.This allows time for the escape of all gases, enables more clay to becompressed in a brick of given dimensions than would be possible Withoutthis dwell, and gives ahigher finish to the brick by reason of a greaterduration of movement of clay in the molds during maximum compression,and hence increased polishing action of the sides of the molds. Thereare a number of mechanical means for effecting this result, and we haveonly shown- What We consider the preferred form, of which the followingare the details: The crank end of the pitman-lever 18 is provided with aslide-box 29. The crank-pin 19 journals in a sliding bearing-boss 30,which fits and slides within the pitman-box 29. This boss 30 ispreferably composed of split bushings held together by theclamping-bolts 31,- as shown in Fig. 2.

32 represents a compensating plate in the box 29, adjustable therein bymeans of the bolt 33, engaging through the heel of the pitman. Obviouslythe position of the plate 32 controls the amount of slide-room of thecrankpin and boss in the pitman slide-box 29.

The machine is constructed so that when the toggle-joints 6, 7, and 8are in straight vertical line (the position of greatest compression) themiddle toggle-joint 6, the crank-shaft 14:, and the crank-pin 19 will bein a horizontal straight line with the sliding boss 30, engaging againstthe plate 32 (see Figs. 1 and 2) at the rear of the box 29. The objectof this arrangement is to prevent the toggles from flexing to the rearof a vertical straight line, so that by causing the parts to dwell inthis position the interval of compression may be prolonged.

In Fig. 1 the toggles are straight, and full compression has beenobtained. When the crank-pin moves downward, as indicated by arrows,(see Figs. 3 and 4,) the pin 19 and boss 30 begin to move forward towardthe front shoulder of the pitman slide-box 29. As the toggles cannot beflexed forward of the said straightline until the boss 30 has traveledinto contact with the front side of the slide-box 29, obviously theplungers remain in position of maximum compression during this interval.The pitman in the horizontal position (shown in Fig. 1) is a leverfulcrumed on the roll 20 between its ends. As the crank in its continuedrotation carries down the rear endof the pitman-lever the front end willnecessarily rise. However, the slotted connection between thepitman-lever and the crankpin while permitting the front end of thelever to rise prevents the pitman from moving forward and imparting aflexing strain to the toggles until the sliding boss engages theshoulder 29 of the pitman. In other words, the result of this slottedconnection is that at the moment of greatest compression the element 18is simply a lever, lifting the entire toggle system bodily, While thetoggles re main straight and while the plungers remain at the greatestcompression. The result of this cooperation is that not only is theinterval of greatest compression prolonged, allowing the escape ofgases, but that during this interval the brick is raised in the mold,greatly increasing the polishing action. The friction between the brickand the sides of the mold is while the brick remains under fullcompressing influence of the plungers. This cooperation produces a brickof maximum density and polish. We have attempted to illustrate thismovement in Fig. 1, 'in which A represents the completion of thegreatest compression, from A to B the interval of prolonging of thegreatest compression. At A the boss 30 engages the rear side of thepitman-box and the space is in front of the boss. In position B the boss30 has moved forward into contact with the front side of the box 29 andthe space in said box is to the rear of the boss. Therefore dur ing themovement of the crank-pin and rear end. of the pitman-lever from A to Bthe transmission of forward flexing strain to the central toggle-pin issuspended. From B to C the toggles flex forward, the brick beingejected, delivered, and the molds charged. When the central toggle-pinshave reached their full forward stroke, (represented in position (1,)the boss 30 begins its rearward slide in the box 29 until it againengages the rear side of said box, as illustrated in position D, atwhich point the initial pressure is exerted on the clay in the molds.These positions are not necessarily correct mathematically, being onlyin tended as a relative diagram. This prolong-' ing of the interval ofclosest proximity of the plungers in the molds is of great practicalimportance, as it enables a maximum quantity of clay to be effectivelycompressed into a minimum dimension of brick without bursting orchecking the brick when discharged from the mold, as they have been heldunder pressure a suflicient length of time to allow all gases and air toescape. sive qualities of the air contained in the brick that causesthem to burst.) In fact, the results obtained from this press are equalto the best results obtained from a hydraulic press, without theinherent disadvantages possessed by the later type of brick-press.

Having described our invention, we claim- 1. In a brick-machine, aframe, the combination therewith of the molds, upper and lower plungers,toggles, side bars, crank-shaft, a fulcrum-roller journaled in theframe, a pitmanlever connecting the central toggle-joint to thecrank-shaft and adapted to be influenced by said fulcrum-roll, and aslotted connection formed between the said pitman-lever end and thecrank-pin, whereby at the moment of greatest compression the toggleflexation is sus- (It is the expanjournaled in said boss and anadjusting-plate 15 in said slide-box, whereby at. the moment of greatestcompression the flexation of the toggles is suspended prolonging theinterval of greatest compression, and the toggle system bodily raisedduring such interval, substan- 2O tially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

CLINTON F. RANDALL.

WILLIAM C. VANNEMAN. WVitnesses:

WILLIAM N. DURBIN, BYRON JARVIS.

